


Dean Has Influenza

by booyouhorse



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Cute Castiel/Dean Winchester, First Kiss, Fluff, Influenza, M/M, Protective Castiel, Romantic Gestures, Short & Sweet, Sick Dean Winchester, Taking Care Of Dean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-28
Updated: 2014-03-30
Packaged: 2018-01-17 07:25:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1379044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/booyouhorse/pseuds/booyouhorse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Dean comes down with the flu, Castiel can't bear to leave his side. He spends his time taking care of Dean until he's better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1. Symptoms

Castiel watches Dean pinch the bridge of his nose, his face contorted in discomfort. He rubs his temples with two fingers and groans.

"What's the matter, Dean?" Castiel asks, noting the unusually bright shade of pink in Dean's cheeks, as well as the sweat beading up on his forehead.

"I'm fine, Cas, don't worry," Dean says, straightening up and flashing an unconvincing smile. Suddenly, he wobbles as his knees tremble violently. Castiel quickly catches him and carries him over to the bed. He sets Dean down with a huff, then places a hand on his forehead.

"Your skin is very hot." His cheeks are flaming red. The rest of him is pale. He's sweating, but shivers ripple through him. Regardless, he's shaking his head. He says gruffly, "Cas, thanks for the concern, but I'm fine. Sam needs me for a job."

"I do not think that would be smart," Castiel tells him. "Just lie down and rest."

"Ugh," Dean mutters, but sways and falls back against the pillows.

__

Castiel walks back into the room, ginger ale in one hand and a cool, damp cloth in the other. After he drapes the cloth over Dean's forehead, he checks the temperature of the thermometer in Dean's mouth.

"102.6," Castiel announces worriedly. "The average temperature of the human body is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit." Dean just groans and pulls the cloth over his face until his eyes and mouth are covered. Then he mumbles, "I feel like shit."

"I will stay with you until you are better," Cas tells him.

"It's just the flu," Dean grumbles. "I don't need a babysitter."

"You are not an infant. I'm simply caring for you while you are incapacitated by illness," Castiel explains.

" _Incapacitated_ ," Dean snorts, but he doesn't argue with Cas. Dean would never be caught dead saying it, but he likes the idea of being taken care of. Dean's always been the caretaker. It's nice to reverse roles once in a while.

And okay, maybe he only likes the idea because it's Cas. Dean always feels so much calmer in his presence, but he's always chalked it up to Castiel's angel mumbo-jumbo.

 


	2. 2. Fever Dreams

When Cas leaves over the bed again to remove the thermometer, Dean feels his heart spike and his breath catch in his throat. Castiel's face strays inches from his own, and just for a minute, Dean forgets that he has the flu and feels like crap. Then Castiel blinked, and pulled away, as he checked the final temperature.

"103.8," he says, but Dean was barely listening. He's focused on the feeling in his stomach. Fluttery, jumpy. Twisting, lurching. He claps a hand over his mouth as his stomach heaves, and Castiel quickly places a bucket beneath his chin. Dean vomits, and Cas runs his a soothing hand through his hair. When he's finished throwing up, Dean falls back against the pillows again. His eyelids slide shut and he groans in pain.

Castiel's hands flutter uselessly, wishing to help, but he knows all he can really do is stand and watch over Dean as he rests.

He tosses in his restless sleep, shivering and sweating. He groans and mumbles as he dreams.

Castiel is hypnotized by the television until he hears his name, followed by a desperate request from Dean, "Don't go."

Cas gets up and walks over to him. He's talking in his sleep, but his face displays real fear.

"Don't leave me, Cas," he cries out, and Castiel brushes his fingers against Dean's lips.

"Never," Castiel replies.

Dean whimpers, and his hand reaches out and finds Castiel's. He grips it tightly, and says again, "Don't leave. Don't leave me."

"I won't, Dean. I'm right here as long as you need me."

"I need you." Dean's voice starts to grow softer, more like a whisper. "I need you bad."

Castiel tried to ignore the flutter in his stomach as he readjusted the cloth on Dean's forehead. "Go back to sleep, Dean. Everything is okay." He was peaceful after that.

\--

Dean woke up to the smell of breakfast and the soap opera Cas had been watching. He suddenly appears with a plate of food including one pancake, two pieces of bacon and scrambled eggs. Dean's empty stomach snarled at the sight, and as soon as the plate was in his hands, he began scarfing down the food. Castiel watched, amused.

"How are you feeling, Dean?"

"Great," Dean mumbled enthusiastically through his mouth full of food. He swallowed and then added, "Well, my head still kinda aches, and my throat's pretty sore. Other than that, I'm okay. Have you talked to Sam?"

"Yes. I told him you were ill and unable to accompany him. He says get well." Dean huffed, but smiled slightly.

"Last night was...interesting," he said after a minute. "The fever caused some crazy dreaming."

"What happened?" Castiel asked, remembering the one-sided conversation last night.

"Well, see, it's like...um—" he stuttered, unable to actually admit the real dream, where Cas was going back to heaven with no intent of returning, and Dean couldn't bear to lose him. He actually begged and pleaded for Cas to stay. He couldn't explain why he needed Cas so badly. It was an urge to be with him, near him. The thought of being without him is just too painful.

"Don't worry about it, Dean. It was only a dream," Castiel says.

"Yeah," he murmurs. It felt a lot more than a dream, but whether that was due to the fever or some other weird shit going on, Dean couldn't tell. What he could tell was that he was feeling excessively needy and it was horrifying him. He stood up — being careful not to get dizzy and black out — and told Cas, "I'm gonna go visit Sam and see if he still needs help."

"The task was completed, Dean. I helped him instead."

"Oh. How did that go?"

Cas smiles sheepishly. "I'm not a very good hunter."

Dean just sighed, but he wasn't angry. He was actually trying to picture Cas on a hunting trip with Sam. A chuckle escaped as Dean imagined it. Castiel smiled as Dean laughed quietly.

"What is amusing?" Castiel asked.

"The thought of you hunting with my brother. It's just funny."

"How?"

"I dunno, Cas. I feel like you'd just be out of place. Well, anyone would. Sam and I are the hunters. You're the angel who saves our asses, eh?" Dean elbows Cas in the ribs.

"Yes, I help you often, don't I?" Cas notes aloud.

"Yep. All the time," Dean chuckles.

"Do you think you could return the favor for me, Dean?" Something intense was suddenly burning in Castiel's eyes as he spoke.

"Uh, y-yeah," Dean stammers, thrown by the intensity of Cas. Castiel leaned forward, until his face was inches from Dean's. His breath was cool as it splashed across Dean's face. He inhaled sharply, but didn't dare look away from Cas.

"Be very still," Cas whispered. His hand slowly brushed across Dean's cheekbone, and then Cas was cupping his cheek in his palm. His other hand reached up to grasp the other side of his face. His fingers laced together behind Dean's neck.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked in a rough whisper, his voice low and husky.

"Asking for a favor," Cas replied.

"What is it?"

Cas could easily see the light of Dean's soul, and the different colors all blending together. Mainly red, which was the color that signified sexuality, and pink, which signified love. The two colors were also muddied with confusion.

"Will you kiss me, Dean?"


	3. 3. A Different Fever

Cas's lips lingered inches from Dean's.

"K-kiss you?" Dean stuttered. "Cas, I just had the flu. I might, uh, still be contagious, you know?"

"I don't mind," Cas replied. A strange look flashed in Dean's eyes, something like panic or fear. Castiel backed up slightly and examined Dean's face. His thoughts were loud and Cas heard them without even trying.

"There is nothing to fear, Dean, I promise," Cas murmured.

"I'm not, y'know...I'm not gay, Cas. You aren't either."

"Actually Dean, angels do not have genders. My vessel is a male but my sexuality is invalid as I am neither male nor female," he explained.

"Well, I'm a guy. And I like girls. I sleep with girls. I'm not gay," Dean insisted.

"Have you kissed a man before?" Cas inquired.

"No way!" Dean scoffed. The light of his soul flickered, pink and red and white. Cas knew that Dean was lying to himself, but he didn't want to argue with him or make him do anything he didn't want to.

"Isn't there a phrase, 'You never know until you try?' If you've never kissed a man, how do you know for sure that you are straight?"

"Jesus, Cas, I don't know! It never really crossed my mind! I mean, not until—" Dean stopped short, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

"Until what?" Castiel asked. There was a long pause before Dean sighed, "Until I met you."

Cas cocked his head to the side. "I don't understand, Dean."

"Ugh! Whenever I'm around you, I feel different! I never want you to go and I'm always thinking about you and when you didn't make it out of Purgatory, I saw you everywhere. I never stop thinking about you! So I don't know! Maybe I am homo! Maybe I have a gigantic, goddamn crush on you, Castiel!" Dean shouted.

Cas didn't think. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Dean. He expected Dean to pull away, and was surprised when he didn't. Instead, he grasped Castiel's head firmly in his hands, and kissed him back with a vengeance. Cas tangled his hands in Dean short crop of hair. He tasted Dean's breath in his mouth and felt the heat of his skin.

Dean was burning up again, but with a fever of a different kind. He'd never felt so intense, so passionate. So... _aroused_. He didn't even know guys could arouse him.

Neither Dean nor Cas wanted to be the first to end the kiss. It went on for a long time, until Dean grew breathless and pulled away.

"Wow," he huffed as he tried to catch his breath. "That was...wow."

"It was something else," Cas agreed. He couldn't contain his smile.


End file.
